Ethnographic Research of Norwich Market

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The Brief

To further our knowledge of the user-centred design process, we conducted our own market research. We’re to analyse the type of people who visit the market, considering their attitudes, beliefs, and motivations. From this data, we can explore whether the users of Norwich market could benefit from digital enhancement in the form of an app or website. This involves us creating questionnaires for the general public to answer in and around the market.

Week 1 – Early Interviews

Brainstorming Session

Our research methodology is based on techniques stated in About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design. We mapped out the first draft of questions in four main sections; goal orientated, system orientated, emotionally orientated and demographic based. These open-ended topics were the inspiration for a more refined selection later on.

The beginning of our group questionnaire

We produced a substantial amount of content for each section along with valid ideas about the subject in general. The most difficult area to cover was pain points because we found ourselves trying to think like users, creating hypothetical personas based on no research. This proved to be unfruitful so it took a back seat until we had a more defined data set.

Based on the whiteboard notes, we each wrote down our own selection of questions that we thought were most beneficial for testing purposes keeping the same 4 section headers. After this, there were about 10 questions on the table so we each took five red stickers and selected our favourites. This narrowed the selection down for the second round of voting where we chose our top three with blue stickers. This exercise showed interesting results in itself because as I placed my blue sticker on a question, one of my peers commented that he was going to change his vote to the same one. He stated that he hadn’t thought of that as an important question until he saw me voting for it. It provoked an internal dialogue about the importance of this particular question that otherwise may not have happened. This proves the importance of group sessions and being able to bounce ideas off of co-workers.

Our votes for the final set of questions

We narrowed the selection down to:

  1. Are you a local to Norwich or are you a visitor?
  2. Do you feel as though you have a special connection with the market?
  3. What do you enjoy doing at the market?
  4. Do you use apps?
  5. What would you add or change in Norwich market?

After role-playing, we took some time to ensure they sounded friendly and inviting and included some a preamble:

Hello, I’m a student at Norwich University of the Arts conducting an anonymous opinion survey about the market. Could I please take a moment of your time to ask you some questions surrounding this topic?

Our final questionnaire comprised of these questions:

  1. Are you local to Norwich or are you a visitor?
  2. Local – Do you visit the market? Visitor – Are you familiar with Norwich market? Are you planning on visiting at all?
  3. What do you think about Norwich market?/How do you feel about the Norwich market?
  4. What do you do at the market?/What do you enjoy doing at the market?
  5. Would you use a digital app or service to complete these tasks?
  6. Is there anything you would ass or change to the market?

We were now ready to go out into the world and conduct our user research session.

Friday morning in Norwich market conducting an early interview session

Out in the Field

I felt completely comfortable asking members of the public about my questionnaire and facing little pieces of rejection here and there. I enjoyed being among potential users listening to their insightful stories.

I found people more inclined to help when I showed them my student I.D. card. Initially, the general public was unnerved by being approached by a stranger in a hi-vis, but a friendly smile and a comment about being a student soon helped them feel at ease.

Another interesting aspect to note is our unscheduled A/B test. We kept all conditions the same over the two-hour session, apart from having a hi-vis on for one half but not for the other. I gained a lot more interest from the public when not wearing my hi-vis because I think it made me look less threatening and official. People felt like they could turn it into more of a casual chat in the street than answering an ‘official’ set of questions.

The Data

Are you local to Norwich or are you a visitor?

 

The majority of participants are local to Norwich/surrounding areas.

Based on the user’s answer, we tailored the next question appropriately.

(Local) Are you familiar with Norwich market? (How often do you visit?) (Visitor) Are you planning on visiting at all?

Question 1: answers

This easy “Yes” or “No” question gave very one-sided results.


Question 1.1: table


Question 1.1: pie chart

Due to most of the users having prior knowledge of the market, it felt right to extend the question with inquiring about how often they visit. This shows how interested people are in the people, stalls and services.


Question 1.2: table


Question 1.2: pie chart

These results are evenly spread and show that the turn over of customers must be very regular. If I was to delve into this subject further, I would analyse whether these choices are influenced by dates and/or times.

What do you think about Norwich market?/How do you feel about Norwich market?/What do you like most about the market?

Question 2: answers

Some users seem genuinely confused by this question. Maybe they were not expecting such a personal touch as implied by the word “feel”. A lot of different themes emerged, most being positive.


Question 2: table

Question 2: bar chart

The majority of visitors to the market go for food and/or drink purposes. Whether this be for a quick coffee or lunch, it’s apparent that it is a hub of tasty activity.

What do you do at the market?/What do you enjoy doing at the market?

Question 3: answers

Users had no problem answering this question as it is easy to interperate and straight to the point. It opened up some nice discussions about people’s days, however some users were happy to provide one-word answers.


Question 3: table

Question 3: bar chart

I broke the theme of “food” down into “niche food” because two users commented on this and I would be interested to pick up on this at a later date. Are niche foods a USP (unique selling point) for stalls, or even the market in general?

Would you use a digital app or service to complete these tasks?

Question 4: answers

The idea of a digital service was not a particularly popular one, however, people were happy to contribute their thoughts.

Question 4: table


Question 4: pie chart

Users were more inclined to agree to a digital service when I suggested a reason for it. For example, they would be able to pre-order products/food or check it’s stock to save a disappointing trip.

Is there anything you would add to or change about the market?/What improvement would help you enjoy the market even more than you do?

Question 5: answers

The majority of users thought that the market didn’t need any changes at all.

Question 5: table

Question 5: bar chart

A popular answer among users was needing more space. The narrow gang-ways proved to be an issue for a lot of people and they were not happy with having to manoeuvre through tiny gaps.

Week 2 – Middle Interviews

Brainstorming Session

Our second week of devising questions, this time for the middle interview stage, proved to be a less arduous task. We had already conquered the initial learning curve and are all familiar with the methodology from About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design.

At the beginning of the group session, we presented some of our own ideas and questions. I learnt that my questions were too precise/confirmational for this stage of the research process. I needed to concentrate on expanding and exploring ideas.

After this, we began correlating our thoughts. We wrote down a list of trending themes from the first session and ordered them in a quantitative hierarchy. By using this organisational method, we were able to decide which themes are most important to our specific user pool. Even with a small data set, we saw some prominent similarities in the answers.

  1. Buying food/tea/coffee x18
  2. No changes should be made to the market x14
  3. None – food x9
  4. People go to the market to observe and walk around x5
  5. Accessibility through the gangways is an issue x5
  6. Navigation through the market is an issue x4
  7. Products should be cheaper x2
  8. The market should have more eating and resting areas x2

It’s clear from these results that most people buy tea, coffee, and food from the market and believe that no changes should be made. This gave us an adequate starting ground for some potential app ideas. These thoughts consisted of:

  • Entrance aesthetics – The use of augmented reality to add to the visual feel of the market.
  • Stock checking – The ability to check the stock of the desired product before travelling to the market.
  • Click & collect – Users can order a product for collection from the stall.
  • Porterage service – To solve the issue of small gangways, disabled citizens will be able to order products from the edge of the market for short distance delivery.
  • Navigation – Navigation aid around the market gangways. Possible integration of augmented reality arrows on the floor.
  • Wait time – Food stalls show estimated wait time for food to help customers decide which stall is most convenient for them.

From this, we came up with some open-ended questions to kickstart our main questionnaire.

  1. How often do you visit the market?
  2. Are wait times an issue when buying food?
  3. Would you benefit from a personalised recommendation of food?
  4. How do you find new stalls?
  5. Do you get lost in the market?
  6. Would you benefit from a stock checking or a click & collect service?
  7. Is using cash an issue?

We discussed wording, sentence structure and order and came up with our final questions:

  1. Do you buy food in the market and if so, how often and what kind of food?
  2. Are waiting times an issue?
  3. If a different stall was recommended to you, would you try it out?
  4. If a stall had a special offer on would you be interested to know about it?
  5. Do you like talking to the person selling you food?
  6. Have you ever had trouble finding a new stall or even got lost in the market?
  7. How do you think you should be able to pay for products in the market? Does this method ever present any problems for you?

Our brainstorming whiteboard

Out in the Field

Last week was full of sunshine and smiles, but this week was wet windy and cold. People were less inclined to stop in the street and have a chat; it definitely put a damper on the general mood. Nonetheless, I greeted each participant with a smile and managed to product 16 replies.

I had picked up some tips and tricks from the previous week, including:

  • Keep walking around. It’s easier to look approachable when you’re not standing around, looking like a dodgy promoted of a pyramid scheme.
  • Flash the student card to let people know they are participating in an anonymous survey for a University student.
  • Hi-vis jackets are less effective, look intimidating and draw too much attention from a distance so people plan to purposely walk around you.
  • Approach couples for more data in one session.
  • If possible, target a wide age range even if demographics aren’t being officially recorded to get varied results.
  • If needed, add light prompts and adapt the question to suit the specific person.

I made sure to apply all of these techniques to this week’s practice and definitely reaped the rewards. Participants were open, giving and happy to talk to me for a few minutes. Even though last week was also successful, I feel that my heightened confidence helped people ensure more trust in me.

The Data

Do you buy food in the market and if so, how often and what kind of food?

Question 1: answers

This served well as an opening question because it introduced the topic. It’s very easy to understand, letting the participant feel comfortable straight away.

This question bared multiple answers so there are more results then answers.

Question 1: tableQuestion 1: bar chart

 

Question 1.2: table


Question 1.2: bar chart

Are waiting times an issue?

Question 2: answers

The middle tier answers have been divided into ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Depends on the Date/Time’ because some users commented on how the date and time had an effect on the market. I believe this to be an important insight because of the fact that multiple people felt the need to include this proves this to be a common theme.

Most of the users thought that the services are run efficiently.


Question 2: table

 

Question 2: pie chart

If a different stall was recommended to you, would you try it out?

Question 3: answers

I chose to include ‘Maybe’ and ‘Depends’ because some people were more open towards the idea than others. ‘Maybe’ refers to replies like ‘Probably, but I know what I like’ where the user doesn’t include another option, whereas ‘depends’ includes replies such as ‘it depends on the type of food that was being recommended’ where the user has commented on what would sway them.


Question 3: table


Question 3: pie chart

If a stall had a special offer on, would you be interested to know about it?

Question 4: answers

The majority of users answered positively for this question and would be interested to save some money where they can.

When conducting my questionnaires, I also included a side question, asking users if these offers would sway their decision to visit a new stall. This received a lot of positive feedback too and could suggest that the stalls, if/when there is an offer on, may not advertise this as well as they could because users looked surprised at the idea, proposing they hadn’t considered that option before.


Question 4: table


Question 4: pie chart

Do you like talking to the person selling you the food?

Question 5: answers

For this question, I didn’t see any significant patterns in participants behaviour in comparison to their demographic or attitude. It depended entirely on the person’s personal preference and factors such as age and gender played no noticeable role. I would like footage of participants and a more detailed data set to closer analyse if this comment is still relevant.


Question 5: table


Question 5: pie chart

Have you ever had trouble finding a new stall or even got lost in the market?

Question 6: answers

This question had a really mixed bag of results. Some participants laughed, others gave a rather sarcastic answer and others were somewhat shocked and confused by such a question. These answers depended on variables like whether the user was local to the area, how many times they had visited the market, or what they were looking for (if the stall they usually visit is on the outskirts, they are less likely to get lost).


Question 6: table


Question 6: pie chart

How do you think you should be able to pay for products on the market? Does this method ever present any problems for you?

Question 7: answers

The number of users who use cash and card was split exactly down the middle. This doesn’t come as a surprise, because of the wide demographic I was targeting. Most of the older participants who are more accustomed to using cash, naturally didn’t have an issue with this. However, younger participants who are used to services such as Contactless and Apple Pay found the lack of card facilities to be inconvenient.

For the second part of the question, I decided to split these comments into three main sections:

  • ‘Need more card facilities’: Participants who specifically commented on stall owners requiring more card facilities
  • ‘Don’t agree with card’: Participants who specifically commented on not agreeing with the integration of card systems
  • ‘Don’t agree with cash’: Participants who specifically commented on having to always use cash or having to go to the ATM to get cash out.


 Question 7.1: table


Question 7.1: pie chart


Question 7.2: table


Question 7.2: bar chart

Potential App Ideas

My opinions about potential app ideas haven’t strayed far from those discussed in the group brainstorming session and these middle interview questions merely confirm previous ideas. An app would definitely have to include:

  • Stock-checker
  • Click & Collect
  • Navigation Aid

My ideal app experience would encompass a combination of click & collect and a porterage service. For users to access the porterage service they will have to show valid disability paperwork to make sure able-bodied users can’t abuse the system. (This may be difficult for users to prove if they have broken a bone or are temporarily using crutches or wheelchair). It could also incorporate a pre-pay service for people to order food in-app, be given a reference number to show the caterer so they can simply go and collect their order. Most importantly, judging by the data shown in both experiments, it must include an offers/news section for businesses to promote their products and entice new customers in. Additionally, I believe a review page is important for trustworthiness. A considerable amount of participants said that they would act on a recommendation if it came from a friend or family member, translating as a reliable source.